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hunc-tem4

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Title: Apple Preservation





Broad Question: What is the best way to preserve an apple?


Specific Question: What type of preservation compound will preserve an apple the best, and which apple is the easiest to preserve?


Hypothesis: I believe that a Red Delicious apple will preserve the best.




Graph of Hypothesis: (see "Variables That Need To Be Controlled")





Variables

Independent Variable: The Independent variable is the type of apple used in the trial.

Dependent Variable: The Dependent variable is the compote used to preserve the apple.


Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

The Variable that needs to be controlled in the containers the apples are in, and the type of storage i will be using during the experiment.


General Plan:

Experimental Design:
I will be conducting my experiment on what is the best apple to preserve in a 2/3 lemon juice, 1/3 water mixture. I will be conducting it at my house, and set the subjects in the refrigerator to test the experiment at a realistic scenario. There will only be one tester, and approximately 9 apples, 3 of each 3 types of apple, for this entire experiment. I will test 2 to 3 trials of this same experiment to provide scientific accuracy and to conclude this experiment reliably. I will need to record the data that I will collect directly on a document so that it can be printed at a later date. To document the process I will continue to observe the effect, and document what is occurring every day, to every week. I will also provide 1 - 2 weeks per trial if the time table for the completion of this test permits. I will also try provide photographs of the apples as the test continues. I will try to take pictures of the apples for measuring the preserved apple, every 2 days.
  1. Computer with printer access. (At least internet access.)
  2. Printer Paper.
  3. Tupper Ware.
  4. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith apples. (3 of each.)
  5. Note Book.
  6. Pencil/Pen.
  7. Camera with U.S.B cable (with software.)

Background Research:


1. Source: Banks, Drusilla. "Preserving Apples - Apples and More." urbanext.illinois.edu. University of Illinois, 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.
1. Information:
Enzymes in light colored fruits can cause browning and loss of Vitamin C as soon as the apple it bitten, cut, or sliced. So chemical compounds (ascorbic acid) are a preservation tool to prevent the loss of the Vitamin C and the browning of the light colored fruits, so the fruits can maintain their nutritious vitamins and minerals.
2. Source: Hari.
"http://knowswhy.com/why-do-apples-rot/." http://www.knowswhy.com. 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
2. Information: To prevent the rotting or over ripening of an apple is to keep away a certain type of fungi, and to keep the fruit in a cold, dark, and moist environment. Also, to prevent rotting is to keep the apple in an container that can breathe so the ethylene oxide can escape the fruit and not condense and cause the fruit to decay had a rapid rate.
3. Source: http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk. 22 Apr. 1997. Web. 28 Feb. 2012
3. Information:
Apples rot by plant disease and the infection of fungal pathogens. These pathogens are termed biotrophic because they create an intricate feeding relationship with the host plant, unlike necrotrophic where as the pathogens attack the fruits tissue aggressively and killing the tissue to obtain nutrients. One type of plant disease is Monilinia fructigena; which enters through any breakage in the plants “skin” and kills the plant by releasing pectic enzymes. There are many pectic enzymes but the major one is polygalactruonase; this breaks/cuts the long pectic chains into smaller units of galaturonic acid.
4. Source: Orwell, Mike. "Why do Apples Rot?." http://www.eHow.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012.
4. Information: Apples rot by many ways; another main way is by oxidation. Oxidation is when that apple is bruised, cut, or wounded in an way, and when that wounded apple come in contact with the oxygen, the oxygen reacts with the phenolic compounds within the apple which allows the “browning” to happen at a much quicker rate.


References:

http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk. 22 Apr. 1997. Web. 28 Feb. 2012
Hari. "http://knowswhy.com/why-do-apples-rot/." http://www.knowswhy.com. 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

Banks, Drusilla. "Preserving Apples - Apples and More." http://www.urbanext.illinois.edu. University of Illinois, 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.


Detailed Procedure:

Procedure
  1. Proceed to store.
  2. Purchase apples and Tupper-Ware
  3. Slice the apples into 4 slices.
  4. Put the apples in a bowl of 2/3 lemon juice, and 1/3 water compote.
  5. Place each apple (1 of each type) in a plastic container (separate.)
  6. Then place the containers in the refrigerator.
  7. Take pictures every 2 days, record data every 3 days.
  8. When finished with this trial, procuring a new set of "subjects" every 2 weeks and then repeat step 3-7.
  9. Upload the photos.
  10. Create word document including the data that I have procured into the document.
Then E-mail the project (after creating a back-­up file) to the teacher for revising.

Results:

The results of the experiment was that Red Delicious preserved the most after the two weeks, and it was the least browned by the lemon juice compound.

Data Table:

Granny Smith
 Red Delicious
 Golden Delicious
70%
 90%
 83%

Graph:


Photos:

Data Analysis:


Conclusion:

Discussion: